Divided Iran Marks '79 Takeover Of U.s. Embassy, Hostage Crisis

November 04, 1999|By From Tribune News Services.

TEHRAN — The 20th anniversary of the takeover of the U.S. Embassy was commemorated in Tehran on Wednesday with marked restraint by Iranian students, who want to improve relations with the United States.

Just 500 people showed up at the rally, and their slogans reflected none of the anti-American fervor some conservatives seek to revive. "In policy and diplomacy, we will deal with the United States with rationality," the demonstrators chanted in Farsi.

The tone contrasted with an appeal by conservatives for a rally outside the embassy building Thursday -- the anniversary of the takeover on Nov. 4, 1979 by militants who held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.

The conservative Islamic Publicity Coordination Council called for thousands of people to converge on the embassy to show that "the struggle against America, or the Great Satan . . . is a strategic struggle which guarantees national interests."

In his remarks Khamenei declared: "Some abject and vile mercenary pen-holders, who think that relations between America and a country like Iran can be normalized . . . and then suddenly their economic problems will be solved, are thinking in vain.

"Struggling against arrogance is part of the essence of our revolution, and today the manifestation of arrogance is the American government. . . . If our nation stops its struggle against arrogance, it means it will accept meddling by foreigners and it will accept being debased and a return to the demeaning situation before the revolution.

"The Iranian people will continue to move down the path of anti-imperialism," said the leader, who has final word in all matters of state, including foreign policy.

The strong words reflected the depth of the disagreement over how Iranians should mark the anniversary showed the power struggle between conservatives, who champion the fiery spirit of the 1979 Islamic revolution, and moderates who back President Mohammad Khatami's policy of a "dialogue between civilizations."

"There are two schools of thought in Iran. One thinks that even to talk about the resumption of relations with the United States is taboo, and the other thinks that restoring relations with Washington is the key to all our problems," Hashem Aghajari, one of the students who stormed the embassy in 1979, said at Wednesday's rally at Tehran University.

"Neither view is correct. We should consider ties with the United States within the framework of our national interests," said Aghajari, who is now a college professor.

"Relations with the United States is not a nightmare or an unreligious act, but at the same time re-establishing ties will not solve our problems overnight," he said.

"Having or not having relations with the United States must be based on our national interests."

At their rally, the students shouted their support for reformist cleric Abdollah Nouri, a former vice president now on trial for political and religious dissent.

"Freedom of expression forever," they cried in defiance of the orthodox interpretation of religion that they say the conservative establishment is trying to impose.

"The students are ready to die before they accept repression," they chanted.

Wednesday's rally was organized by the Office for Fostering Unity, a large student group that backs Khatami.